Triple Coupon Day

I read an interesting article on saving money with coupons. The article said that a billion dollars worth of savings are sent out every year in the form of coupons and only about 1% of them ever get used.  That's a pretty staggering statistic but I totally agree with it, based on the amount of useless coupons that we receive in the mail and in the Sunday sale papers.  Anyhoo, the article gave four tips on how to get more out of your coupons.  I agree with them for the most part.

1. Pay attention to coupons and clip ones you can use at the stores that you frequent.  That's pretty much a no-brainer.  Why would someone waste their time and energy to cut out coupons for items that they don't have at the stores where you shop? 

2. Paper clip coupons to your shopping list so you don't forget about them.  Another no-brainer.  Except they didn't tell you what to do to remember to bring your shopping list with the coupons clipped to it, provided you even write out a shopping list.

3.  Don't use coupons for the sake of using them; only use coupons for items you normally buy. I have to disagree with them on this one.  Everybody likes to think they're getting a good deal on something, even if it's something they don't use.  If I have a 50 cent coupon for a bag of broccoli, and I'm shopping on a triple coupon day, you're darned right I'm going to buy that bag of broccoli and use my coupon because I'll be saving a buck and a half. 

4. Don't be afraid to contact companies by mail or phone to ask for coupons.  Sorry, but once again I disagree.  If I don't have time to cut out coupons, write a shopping list and clip the coupons to said list, I sure as heck am not going to have time to write or call companies and ask for coupons.